New-York tribune., 1887-05-15
CALLING IN NEW-ENGLAND
TIE METHODS OF ENTERTAINMENT.

This remark was made by very large, eidery
woman who has moved into the hlmer house' hoA'
ours Sne had been there two weeks and we we're now
making our first call Her husband Is oo6bler ana
has a shop in Slacksvile, TO which place he walks
ever, morning going down the Hosy Fisher road and
taking his dinner in a threepint TIN pail His WIG
calls his shop an office" and seems to take great
nrde in that word Her daughters, and she has hye'
are all married. to likely scrabbling men VINO make
good husbands" and scattered about IN "dJoinng
towns Since have lived here have learned tnae
good hus ba nd is man who provides plenty ol
food and who does not beat his vile. do not know
what m,-e anv woman could wish for in q lies
mariner Likewise the greatest praise young Uah
can receive is that he aint no bad habits meaning
that he is lcentious that he does not gamDe anu
ia not drunkard. man to whom TINS negative
commepditon can be given is well htted TO become
tbe lover or husband OF auy delicate and intelligent
girl and even mere there is occasionally that klnd o
"A rirl TO be met When iasudious woman decilhcs
In receive the attentions such q man the other
women look at her supercllously anu a'A eacn o'uo
VIII ,t that gal can be expectn ot 10 turn up her
nose at "A ieller that amt no pad haOus'
Naturally the women more exacting and positive
in their ileas of what makes good wife. She also
must he likely" and scrabblng." but no mention
il made of bad habits in regard to her. Tor as woman
is not supposed ever TO he addicted 10 evil IL - ho
virtue in her 20 be yirtuous but please do not there
fore suupose that IL is not criminal IN her to be
criminal, for it IL, helnously so and man may DC
forgiven seventy times seven where tue other sex ~
pardoned You see that IN one respect at ieas'
like the great world IRON wneh we are Almost
hidden.
Mrs Loud the cobbler's wife. was sitting in a
kitchen that has Just undergone spring cleaning :
every thing was scrubbed and the stove shone one
was mending Mr.. Louds socks. AS she HALE the
remark ut the head o this article she looked keenly at
as over her spectacles with somewhat belligerent
glance "a if rather expecting to dispute the setting
m propertes o. cup clstard. Far from disputing
however Se both nurmured an assent to her state
ment aud she presently went on IN these words;
This time o year it's pesky hard to GIT nothln
tbets fit ter eat There amt no relish even IN
douahnuts I's Jest between hay and grass llke
winter yctuals don, taste good, and green sass an
come"
She looked 50 searchingly at my sister that Gertrude
bush-d moved unoasily, and fually said that she
found Taunton herring as good az anything, ior her
own part.
Mrs Loud. who appears to be no respecter OF n
ncrson', FEELINGS smiled audbly and replied
a Let them as likes herrin' eat 'em. As for me, |
amt got 80 low as that yit The smell OF 'em Is nouSh
for me-"
This reioinder was not conductive to entire ease on
our part We wished the call was over, but a. we
had lust cOGle we could not 90 Immediately. saw
by the way Gertrude had lowered her eyes and shut
her mouth that she would make any more attempts
at couversato1 | looked round desperately tor
topic VI, eyes lighted meadow, which ran
back Of the house II thickly dotted with yellow
blossoms. j Drl rntcueu, anu silu biiHhif'
q" suppose yod like covsl.p green's Mrs. Loud r
" amt tried none yit this spring"
@There ere plenty Oi them down there said
They amt ourn.' she answered stIhly.
But you are welcome to oil you want
"Mucl oblee.cd; but cowsips don't agree with my
stummck."
saw Gertrude glance furtivsly at mo. Bat was
unusually courageous and persistent started
several subjects and each time | was brought up
against a blank wall by this woman who sat calmly
mending socks, and who was let sure, greatly
interior to her visitors in mental ability.
II mentioned n neigbbor in terms OF praise, she
sneered: it, on the other hand. tried a mild detrac-
ton she directly began TO praise: Finally lttierred
TO n funeral which had occurred up at Mill village.
Funers" Rs they called here. are almost always
fertile and congcnial subjects among these people.
| Mrs Loud Immediately launched into fierce TRADE
against the undertaken whom the newly made widow
| had employed. She said the "carsat want nowheres
near what wlders gineraly intended to haze Tor
their husbands though he charged st as much as II
| IT had been the right thing July Marer Dill, who
was one OF the walters at the funeri told Ine all
about it, 80 you the story comes strnight An
now" said Mrs. Loud laying down her darning
needle in her earnesthess, snow when that poor
widdcrs teuderest ieelins up, what du ye think
that man had the mpidence TO charge"
She waited for us to make guesses, and timidly
suggested $50. She looked at Gertrude AMI asked
What du you think" and Gertrude hazardcd $GC
"a her guess
cried Ye aint nuther OF ye right. lie arst $40 ana st
cents Of lac did a mill and told ye, tao carskii
want halt wuth what she had ordered. She said Il
me thet Sas had ben good husband. tho ruther toe
| roarin Mcthody, bein' as she was Congreg gatona
| ist but she wanted to show him the respects OF
hansome carskit an she couldn't hep cryin when sh
see him layin' in that common thing. tell ye he tool
advantage of her ben' in sorror, that undertaken did
We stopped until this subject exhausted and
then VIC ventured to leave, Mrs Louds interest imme
| diat dinO Aft thought WI
had discovered what interested her.
As we were out on q calling expedition, We chos
for our next visit a family which would contrast
agrecably with Mrs. Loud.
The Bruces were born and bred in Ransome bu
they educated people OF taste and intellect. I'm
like most OF their neghbors, they have absorbed
hnement and intelligence | should rather say thos
traits in them have been nourished in the very a,
mospnero which In the majority here has produced
something very different IRON refinement. W Nho shal
| explain this riddle
Mrs Bruce has lovely soft brown eyes that twinkl
with amusement at the doins" about hor. Althous
she has lived here tho greater art OF her lite, she
as keeny alive to the idoyncrasies OF the natives
are we. Her sister is senderer, with brown eyes Of
different hue that slightly retreating cnin which give
her face piquancy. aud something in her Who'll
aspect which reminds mo of some French " bell
marquise" of tho old regime Aud these two wOme
have grown up amid these people. and are, fancy
rather looked down upon by Mrs. Holland and tn
Farnhams.
The Bruces nre a source OF relief and delight to us
: To them relate experiences and listen
their tales. We imme iiately gave vivid an accouu
, az possible of our call upon Mrs Loud, and the
: learned TO momeutary dIsmay, that Mrs. Lou
was a cousin to Mrs. Bruce's mother. Thus in thi
country to the ancestral trees blossom aud fru
in great variety.
. "Oh" said Mrs Bruce with n laugh 4" that need nc
. embarrass YOU We have, over in Burnt Swamp, SON
quecrer cousins than Mrs. Loud. But they hay
dropped us long ago. They say we are 'stuck-up.'
suppose they have TO that conclusion because
! sometimes sound the letter Z, and have been know
! to speak a correct sentence. l dou't know OF an
other reason, for regiously visited thom until "
! were so markedly snubbed we had to givo 1t up.
shall forget the visits we used to make when
t were childreus Onco in just so long we were pal
Q ticulaIly scrubbed and starched and sent down
! spend an afternoon with tho Rimers 1t was drear